Coulomb-assisted $\bm\Sigma^-$-nucleus bound states in the ($K^-$, $\pi^+$) reaction

TL;DR

This paper investigates Coulomb-assisted $ ext{Σ}^-$-nucleus bound states using ($K^-$, $ ext{π}^+$) reactions, aiming to determine the $ ext{Σ}$-nucleus potential properties through theoretical spectra analysis relevant for upcoming J-PARC experiments.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical framework for analyzing $ ext{Σ}^-$ bound states via ($K^-$, $ ext{π}^+$) reactions, connecting atomic data with nuclear potentials and guiding future experimental investigations.

Findings

The ($K^-$, $ ext{π}^+$) reaction on $^{58}$Ni offers a clear signature of the $ ext{Σ}$-nucleus potential.

The potential likely has a repulsive core and an attractive surface region with absorption.

Inclusive spectra cannot determine the potential's repulsion at the nuclear center.

Abstract

We study a production of Coulomb-assisted $\Sigma^-$-nucleus bound states by nuclear ($K^-$, $\pi^+$) reactions within a distorted-wave impulse approximation, so as to examine several types of the $\Sigma$-nucleus potentials that are consistent with the available $\Sigma^-$ atomic X-ray data and nuclear ($\pi^-$, $K^+$) data. We theoretically demonstrate the inclusive ($K^-$, $\pi^+$) spectra of the $\Sigma^-$ unstable bound states on $^{28}$Si, $^{58}$Ni, and $^{208}$Pb targets at incident $K^-$ lab momenta $p_{K}= 400\text{--}800$ MeV/c. The results show that the near-recoilless ($K^-$, $\pi^+$) reaction on the $^{58}$Ni target gives a clear candidate to confirm properties of the $\Sigma$-nucleus potentials having a repulsion inside the nuclear surface and an attraction outside the nucleus with a sizable absorption, whereas details of the repulsion of the potential at the nuclear center cannot be determined by the inclusive spectra. This is a promising attempt to extract properties of the $\Sigma$-nucleus potential in the nucleus at forthcoming J-PARC experiments, as a full complement to the analyses of the $\Sigma^-$ atomic and ($\pi^-$, $K^+$) data.